Hand in Hand
by forevernyu
Summary: What would have happened if the green-haired and the raven-haired boys had met each other ten years earlier? Lots of adventures and fluff in store so enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Yummy

_**Hand in Hand**_

_**Title: **__Hand in Hand_

_**Author: **__forevernyu_

_**Pairings: **__Luffy/Zoro._

_**Summary: **__What would have happened if the green-haired and the raven-hared boys had met each other ten years earlier? _

_It's mostly ZoLu friendship for now but rating might change when our favorite characters get older, and closer with each adventure ^_^_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do NOT own One Piece but I love it. Especially Luffy and Zoro!_

_**AN: **__This is the first chapter of a series of ZoLu one shots that might develop into a more concrete storyline. I don't know if it is an AT or an AU or neither of them (never understood what they actually meant...) , but this story takes place on the One Piece universe. I'm just playing with the timeline and anticipating the fateful encounter between those two!_

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_**Chapter 1: Yummy**_

"Wanna be friends?"

It was the first thing the raven-haired boy ever said to him. It was also the first time anyone actually wanted to get close to him. Everybody else -adults and children alike- eyed him with scared, disgusted or disapproving eyes. So, naturally, he rejected the offer his face expressing nothing more than boredom and a hint of hostility.

"No. Leave me alone."

The smaller boy looked positively dejected, his impossibly wide grin wiped off of his face and replaced by a pout.

"Oww, come on! It'll be fun."

Zoro raised an eyebrow at the persistent boy in front of him. _Does he really want to befriend __**him**__?_ The thought seemed ridiculous. He was known as a troublemaker, a rude, violent kid. And since he never even bothered to belie the rumors, he was always considered as dangerous or at the very least a hindrance. Zoro could not see why _**anyone**_ would want to have _**anything**_ to do with him, let alone be friends with him!

"Why?" he asked flatly, "Why do you want to be _**my**_ friend?"

The smaller boy looked puzzled, as if the answer was something obvious, but he replied his smile back on his face eating up half of it.

"Because Zoro is strong and cool. And I like Zoro's green hair, looks yummy!"

The boy was stunned. _'This kid is definitely insane,'_ he thought when his mind snapped out of its stupor. His green hair was what he hated most about himself; so did everyone else. They always used it to create increasingly creepy nicknames for him, like grass-head, morimo(1), moldy... so _"yummy"_ was a first!

Zoro stared at the other boy trying his best not to get distracted by his puppy-like expression screaming unvoiced pleas. That boy was the first person to ever like the conspicuous color of his hair. Not even his own mother liked it. Well, more like that was what his mother hated _**most**_ about him too. She would tell him over and over again to hide that disgusting color with a bandanna or something because it reminded her of _"that bastard"_. And, as if it wasn't enough, she would diligently cut his hair as short as she could manage with her scissors, _**every week**_. Zoro was convinced that, had she not feared being accused of child abuse, she would have shaved all of it or dyed it pitch black. He doubted a different hair color would have appeased her everlasting anger, or made him look more _likable _to anyone else, though. He was an unwanted child and he knew it.

The other boy however, was his exact opposite. His wide grin and cheerful nature made him everyone's favorite whether they were children or adults. Well, he couldn't blame them. The boy's cristal clear laughter filled the air around him with warmth and liveliness and people couldn't help but be drawn to his bright personality like moth to fire. Even he caught himself staring at him, envying every single person around him, then ended up averting his gaze and mumbling an imperceptible _"Idiot!"_ more to himself than to the ever-smiling boy.

"So, we are friends now! Right?"

The boy to whom he looked up from afar was now barely a foot from him, addressing him, smiling at _**him**_. Zoro, knew he had lost this battle even before starting the fight. He could never resist the raven-haired kid, so he settled on an honorable loss. He let out grunt -that sounded suspiciously like a sigh- and muttered:

"Whatever."

The smaller boy clapped his hands in delight then, he wrapped his fingers around Zoro's left hand and proceeded dragging him to where the other kids were standing, eyes wide and mouths ajar at the unforeseen turn things had taken. Zoro, followed his new friend without a word, the heat from his left hand slowly transferring to his cheeks. Blushing in embarrassment was a first too.

Suddenly, the other boy stopped and swirled around to face him once more.

"By the way, my name is Luffy. Yoroshiku(2)!"

With that, Luffy tightened his hold on the green-haired boy's hand, flashed him with his infamous grin and resumed dragging him to wherever place he had in mind.

"I already knew," Zoro uttered imperceptibly and followed suite, slightly returning the pressure to the hand holding his own. Walking hand in hand with someone was also a first for him. A frown crept to his usually stoic face, it seemed like the raven-haired boy was going to snatch away many first-times.

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**(1) Morimo: **the radix word "mori" means "forest" in japanese.

**(2) Yoroshiku: **means "nice to meet you" in japanese.

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_**AN: **That was four first times taken by Luffy in a matter of seconds *grin*. Actually, I wanted to name this chapter: "First Times" but well, "Yummy" isn't bad either *wink*_

_**AN2:** Did you like it? Did you not like it? Please leave a comment! I love reading them and well, I would rather know if I should continue with this story or not... So please hit the review button!_


	2. Chapter 2: A Sweet Gift

_**Hand in Hand**_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do NOT own One Piece but I love it. Especially Luffy and Zoro!_

_**AN: **__ Shi shi shi! Second chapter is finally up. Thanks to all of you for your support and I hope you will like this new chapter and the future ones too!_

_**AN2: **__ This was edited by my dear friend Avery (Blu-Calling). She's a frantic fan of One Piece (I hope you don't mind the description) and a great help! Anyways, thanks sweetie and sorry I pressed you for the editing :p_

_Everyone enjoy!_

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_**Chapter 2: A Sweet Gift**_

"What is Luffy doing? Taking that guy's dessert, he's gonna get himself beaten up!"

"I don't think so."

"What do you mean you don't think so? It's Zoro we're talking about. Wild, ferocious Zoro!"

"Yeah, but they're friends."

"Huh? Who's friend with whom?"

"Zoro and Luffy of course."

"Hey, is there something wrong with your head?"

"AAAAARG! Stop nagging and look for yourself!"

Luffy was blissfully enjoying his second piece of cake, the one he stole from his neighbor, and Zoro well... he wasn't smiling or anything creepy but, instead of turning the table upside down and punching the idiot who dared to openly steal something from him until he was unconscious, Zoro was mumbling, grumbling and glaring to anyone who dared to talk about them or even look their way.

The green-haired boy had enjoyed new feelings since his _**friendship **_with the smaller boy begun. But what he enjoyed most was driving away the other kids that were usually glued to the cheerful boy. He never knew he had such strong possessive tendencies, or may me be he never had anything that he wanted his own.

However, being the raven-haired boy's friend wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. The boy was completely oblivious to danger or insanely attracted to adventures. Either way, he would always do whatever sounded like "fun" regardless of the obvious consequences. '_At least he doesn't complain when he gets himself hurt or scolded.' _thought Zoro with a sigh.

The only times he had heard the boy crying or whining were when he didn't comply to his wishes. Like when he insisted on patting a vicious-looking dog because he found it _**cute**_. Anyone in their right mind would have fled the moment they saw its lethal fangs, yet Luffy kept complaining noisily when he dragged him away to a safer place.

The stubborn child could be really hard to deal with... Still, Zoro was having a lot more fun thanks to him. Not that he had any before. Even so, the enthusiasm of the boy was somewhat contagious and Zoro found himself looking forward to each new day in his company. He also tried to stay with him as long as he could manage to, which was why he would walk him home everyday even though his own house was on the opposite direction.

Needless to say he _**never**_ said anything about where his house was to his friend. It would have been too embarrassing to try and explain why he chose to take the detour. Besides, he didn't want him to come to his house and meet his mother. Not now not ever. He hated being pitied more than anything else. He was strong _damn it_, so why look at him as if he were the most miserable boy in the world? His father deserted him and his mother hated him, so what? He could live through that, he doesn't even feel hurt anymore. Over the years a curious numbness had replaced the nothingness he felt and he grew totally immune to any allusions to his _"family situation"_, mainly because he didn't care what anyone thought of him. That is until the raven-haired boy made his appearance and triggered forgotten emotions, as if he was dropping colorful paint on the blank canvas of his life. Zoro definitely didn't want to see that flicker of surprise, mixed with an awkward apology, pass through the big dark eyes of his friend. He wouldn't stand it. He wanted to remain the _"strong cool Zoro"_ forever. He could do without the _"yummy"(1) _part though.

The boy glanced sideways at his new pal. Luffy was enthusiastically talking about fishes and dishes while walking by the river. It was almost summer so the level of water had lowered a lot leaving nothing but muddy liquid, scattered rocks and a deep ravine. Seeing it almost dry, nobody would suspect how many times that river flooded the nearby fields sweeping trees and houses in its track during the winter. Zoro wondered idly why his little friend insisted on walking along that river when it looked so dangerous all year long. He must have liked it a lot...

"Zoro, Zoro. Look! That fish is trapped!"

The said boy was swinging his arm vehemently in the direction of one of the smaller puddles of water where a fish was fretting, trying to find an exit. When he heard no comment from his companion, the boy swirled around to look at him, but his motion was too quick. His right leg slipped, he lost his balance and his whole body started falling back toward the ravine while his arms flailed frantically as if they would grow wings to prevent him from the impending fall.

Zoro dashed forward screaming his name. The desperate call echoed around them followed by a loud, eerie THUD, then everything went still and silent.

***

The sound of a door closing woke him up and a strong smell of alcohol teased his nostrils. He slowly opened his eyes blinking several times at the blinding light. He couldn't recognize his surroundings and sat up immediately wary. _'Bad idea,'_ he thought when an unbearable pain shot through his brain making him feel dizzy and nauseated.

"Easy boy!" commanded a voice.

He looked to the source of the voice and recognized the only doctor of the village in his white blouse. The man looked light headed, and flushed. Too many beers at the neighboring bar no doubt. He reached for a chair and dragged it to the only widow in the small, white room. The little patient winced at the loud noise his headache taking a turn for the worse. He squeezed his eyes shut waiting for the pain to dull down. When he opened them again, the doctor had lit a cigarette and was smoking nonchalantly, blowing grayish waves through the open window. The doctor was known for being very disrespectful of hygiene rules, but he was skillful so nobody ever complained.

"Kiddo, that's one hell of a tough skull you've got there," the doctor commented with a chuckle. "Anyone else would have had their head smashed like a watermelon! A nasty fall you've had I tell you!"

The little patient recoiled at the gory image of his brain scattered all around him in that muddy ravine. He suppressed a gag not wanting to bend anymore than necessary. His head was heavy or may be he himself had gotten too weak to support its weight.

The boorish doctor kept blabbing in his loud voice, oblivious to the boy's rising discomfort. He was trying to fill him in the details of the _"amazing fall"_. The boy closed his eyes to concentrate on the blurry images he had left from the memory of the incident. He could see the fish that was struggling for water, for breath, for life. And then the image of the figure bending over the edge of the ravine and swirling around to face him started playing followed by those dark eyes widening in surprise and horror. The image was vivid, forever printed in the back of his mind. He remembered that his own eyes were locked on his friend's through the whole process. He couldn't tear them from the hypnotic gaze, not when he felt his hand grab Luffy's slender arm to yank him back, not when he lost his balance with the force of the pull, not even when he felt himself falling. Those eyes were all he could look at until darkness replaced light.

He wanted to see them again, those big dark eyes, or rather he refused to see anything else. So he kept his eyes stubbornly closed and ignored as much as he could the hoarse voice that was describing in details his injuries, his bruises and the different medications he had undergone.

Apparently he had been out through the week-end, three days in all, and his mother came often to inquire about his health. The doctor was commenting on her irreproachable behavior and kindness explaining that she got him lunch boxes every time as thanks, when Zoro couldn't bare the one-sided speech any longer. Some people were just too easy to fool. If he wasn't so engrossed with whatever food he got from her, the doctor might have noticed that the woman -whom he described as an angel- was probably wishing for his death instead of praying for his recovery. Zoro interrupted briskly the chatting to ask about the only person that cared for him, the only one that mattered to him.

"Where is Luffy?"

The doctor was a bit surprised by the interruption and even more by the irritated tone of the injured child. He rolled his eyes remembering the warnings about his nasty personality.

"Who's Luffy?" the doctor inquired curtly.

Zoro gritted his teeth annoyed.

"My friend." he replied.

"Oh," exclaimed the man in recognition. "Probably at school," he added shrugging.

Zoro was relieved. _'So, he's safe. I made it in time!'_ he reasoned.

"How long do I have to stay here?" he asked again.

The older man snorted in disapproval. Seriously, how rude could the little brat get? He was acting all mighty when he didn't even thank him properly for saving his life!

"Since you woke up, you can go back home tomorrow. I just need to check up on you in the morning to be sure everything's all right." replied the man with a cold professional tone. He had lost all interest in conversing with his ungrateful patient, so he extinguished his cigarette, closed the window, and started toward the door. He paused at the threshold and added:

"You have water on the table at your side and the nurse will bring you something to eat shortly."

Zoro said nothing and kept his eyes closed, so the doctor exited the room.

"Cocky brat," he muttered irritatedly under his breath.

***

The green-haired boy had been sitting at his usual table in the classroom for sometime when a familiar face stole a glance at him from the doorway. Zoro looked even scarier than before with the intimidating bandages wrapped around his head and the angry glares he shot anyone who dared to speak in his presence and call forth his unbearable headache. He probably should have stayed home for a couple of days as the doctor advised but he didn't want to stay at that suffocating place any longer. Besides, he really missed his idiotic companion.

Said boy was furtively looking at him from afar, and when their eyes met, he tried to quickly hide behind the wall but tripped and fell ungraciously on his face instead. _'What an idiot!' _thought Zoro suppressing a smirk. He rose from his seat and walked toward him. People around them were gasping and shrieking convinced that Luffy had earned himself a proper beating because of his offending loud thud. But Zoro ignored them and walked slowly toward his target.

The raven-haired boy was already on his feet gathering the things he'd dropped when he fell _**noisily**_. He quickly tossed the last package in the paper bag he was clutching tightly in his hands then turned around and run, purposely avoiding Zoro who stared blankly at the retreating figure, stunned.

_What was going on?_ Zoro was at a loss for any logical explanation. _Why would he be avoided __**now**__? What had he done wrong? Why the sudden change?_ The boy felt miserable. It hurt much more than he thought to be ignored by his _**friend**_. It hurt so much, he wished he had stayed home instead or simply remained unconscious. _What was the point of diving in a bottomless ravine to save him, if all he got in return was a cold shoulder? _

By the end of morning classes, Zoro felt a familiar numbness take hold of him. Luffy's betrayal was one of many other. Nothing more. He was not hoping for anything anyways. He didn't need anyone anyways. He was strong enough to remain alone anyways.

Zoro heard his classmates exit happily from the classroom for lunch break, probably relieved to be finally able to talk to their heart's content. He wasn't hungry and didn't feel like he could stand the noisy canteen in his condition, so he stayed in the silent deserted classroom, trying not to think of the sudden emptiness he felt. _How was he able to overcome the daily boredom before he associated with the energetic boy?_ He didn't know anymore.

Zoro frowned, and immediately winced at the tug he felt from the stitches in his head.

"Are you all right?"

Zoro froze. Big dark eyes, filled with concern entered his field of vision and locked with his dull gaze. A tiny hand touched tentatively his bandages.  
"Does it hurt?"

Zoro wanted to give the boy a stinging reply, something like _"Of course it does idiot!"_ or _"Why do you care?"_ or _"None of your business!"_, but his voice failed him and he remained silent staring incredulously at the unexpected apparition.

Luffy retracted his hand and looked down as if he suddenly found something interesting on his own shoes. The silence stretched and he begun to fidget uneasily, his hands hidden behind his back and his eyes following the movement of his left foot tracing invisible circles on the ground.  
Zoro got impatient.  
"What is it?" he asked briskly not hiding his annoyance.

Luffy flinched at the harsh tone but didn't lift his head.

"I'm sorry," he breathed.

Zoro couldn't stand to hear his broken voice, his miserable apology. '_Why is he apologizing for ignoring me anyways?_ _Is he an idiot?_ _He should just... do like the others do and pretend I don't exist!' _thought Zoro feeling his chest tighten. The air was becoming unbearable, it hurt to be there with him. He kicked his chair back and stood up, resolute to escape the uneasy situation.

Luffy panicked and a strangled cry escaped his throat.

"Wait!"

"What now?" asked Zoro in an irritated voice.

"I have something for you." whispered Luffy.

"I thought you didn't want _**anything**_ to do with _**me**_." retorted Zoro bitterly.

Luffy looked honestly in shock.

"What? No! That's not it. You've misunderstood!"

"You never came to visit me at the hospital and you _**purposely**_ avoided me this morning. What is there to misunderstand? It's pretty clear to me that you _**hate**_ me."

"Why would I do that? You just saved my life! I... I was just... worried. Your mother... she was very angry with me and told me I was a jinx." The little boy's voice broke with a suppressed sob as he added in a whisper "She ordered me to _**never**_ talk to you again."

Zoro was seething his hands clenched in tight fists.

"She was just putting a show," he grumbled through gritted teeth.

"Huh?"

"Never mind," he added quickly upon seeing Luffy's puzzled face, "_**I **_am not angry with you. So stop acting like that. It's stupid!"

To be honest, Zoro was still a bit angry, with his mother, but he mostly felt relieved. Luffy was still his friend, he hadn't betrayed him, he hadn't deserted him.

"So what was it you wanted to show me?" he asked in a lighter tone.  
The raven haired boy looked at him sheepishly and thrust something in his hands. Zoro recognized the paper bag the boy was holding that morning. He peered inside curious, then thrust his hand to retrieve one among the three wrapped bundles. He carefully unwrapped it to find a crooked piece of cake. He raised a questioning glance at Luffy who was fidgeting uncomfortably.

"It got smashed when I tripped this morning but it's good!" He said in apology.

Zoro kept staring blankly at him.

"Well, it's the desserts from the canteen. I left mine for you. For when you're back." Luffy added.

"But you _**love**_ sweets!" the green-haired boy exclaimed in amazement, finally understanding what was that about.

"No, I love meat better." Luffy hastily argued.

Zoro eyed him suspiciously.

"You never ate your meat before. You said it was too hard to shew!"

"Yeah, I... just have to swallow it whole. It's better that way." Luffy insisted. Then he looked at the package laying forgotten in his friend's hands.

"You don't want it?" he asked dejected.

Zoro shook his head vehemently and thrust the disfigured pastry in his mouth to his friend's satisfaction. When the sweet taste spread in his taste buds he felt absolutely blissful._'I should have ate it slowly,' _he though with a faint regret. That was the first gift he'd ever had, the best ever.

He could tell how hard it must have been for a sweet-tooth like Luffy to refrain from eating dessert for three consecutive days. But, he was even more amazed when said boy stuck with his pretended diet, eating nothing but meat and leaving the sweets for him ever since. It was really moving, and heart-warming. Zoro felt peaceful for the first time in what seemed like ages. He had risked his life for someone else for the first time, and the reward was simply amazing. Maybe, just maybe, he should act more heroically in the future.

A muffled giggle interrupted his thoughts and Zoro glared across the table at a couple of girls who were eying his neighbor and chatting happily about Valentine choco and the likes. His heroic behavior would have to wait: protecting his idiotic friend was a priority. Besides, he couldn't find anyone worth saving aside of him!

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**(1) : **Referring to the first chapter ;)

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_**AN: **So? How many first times were snatched in this chapter? *grin*_

_**AN2: **The chapters still look like unrelated drabbles for now but I do have a plot, I just need to alter and reorganise a couple of things. But you already figured out that much right? Now, please hit the review button and let me know what you think ;)_


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